Saturday, May 28, 2016

Sexual Coercion, Trauma, and Sex Work in Justice-Involved Women with Substance Use Disorders

Sexual victimization is
strongly associated with mental health problems, traumatic responses, earlier
onset of substance use and criminal justice involvement. It is well known that
multiple forms of sexual victimization and aggression have been experienced by
most incarcerated women.

Two hundred women with a substance use disorder and
involvement with the criminal justice system within the previous two years
(parole, probation, arrest, or incarceration) were recruited from multiple
sites in metropolitan Chicago.

We examined whether empowerment moderates the
relationship between trauma symptoms, trading sex and the experience of being
forced or coerced to have sex. There was a significant three-way interaction
between sexual coercion, trading, and empowerment scores on trauma symptoms.

For individuals who have not traded sex, lower levels of empowerment were
associated with a larger difference in trauma symptomatology between
individuals who have been coerced and those who have not been coerced. For
individuals who had been coerced to engage in sexual activity, lower levels of
empowerment were associated with a larger difference in trauma symptomatology
between those who have traded and those who have not traded.

The promotion of
empowerment beliefs and attitudes in women disproportionately impacted by
violence and sexual trauma may reduce the harm that results from being
victimized. Furthermore, providing specific interventions that educate women
regarding gender roles and cultural values may help women avoid situations that
result in exploitation and coercion.